In The Name of Epic Returns
by iceandfire105
Summary: Leo had some loose ends to tie up. For one, he wasn't dead. Two, his friends thought the exact opposite, and that wasn't exactly good. Three...well, there was no three, but Calypso has an attachment to a Starbucks cup for some reason or other. Anyway, it's best to end your rescue mission the way it all started; by coming crashing down as a fireball of destructiveness. Oneshot.


**Oneshot time!  
**

**I hope this is okay. And that you enjoy it. 'Cause that's kinda important too . . .**

**Well, make sure to review!**

**Cheers!**

**~Ice.**

* * *

_**In the Name of Epic Returns**_

'New York is so . . . so _strange_,' Calypso said as she ogled the Starbucks cup clutched in her hands. She took the plastic lid off and sniffed the coffee inside, before taking a sip of the scalding liquid.

'I s'pose it was a bit stupid of me to dump you from pre-medieval straight into something two thousand years afterward,' Leo said, linking their arms. He flashed her a grin. 'But it's gonna be fun, I can promise you that, Sunshine.'

'Hm,' she said, licking the froth off her upper lip. 'I daresay it will be an experience, in the least.'

'And what's that supposed to mean?'

She shook her head, a small grin crossing her lips. 'Never mind.'

Leo just gave a theatrical sigh, shaking his head and looking skywards. 'You're a nightmare to impress, titan-lady.'

'Yet you love me anyway,' she said sweetly.

'True, true . . .'

The two of them walked across the park to where Leo had left Festus, who, while starting to fall apart, probably looked to mortals like an extremely large, overly friendly dog.

There was a long moment of silence before Calypso suddenly spoke. 'Something's been bothering you. What is it?' She looked at Leo inquiringly.

Her boyfriend scratched the back of his neck absently. 'Erm, well . . . I've been thinking . . .'

'You _have?_' she asked in mock surprise.

'Shush, you.' But a smile crossed his elfish features all the same. 'Well, I reckon that we should go back to the camp, just so they know that I'm un-dead, so to speak.'

'You mean "alive"?'

He shrugged. 'Whatever floats your boat.'

'Yes, I think you ought to do that,' she said, taking another sip of her coffee. She rather liked the taste.

'You wouldn't mind?' he asked, taking her hand and intertwining their fingers.

'Of course not, stupid,' she said. 'I want to meet your friends.'

'Aha, yeah, my friends . . .' he said, suddenly looking rather guilty.

* * *

Festus had copped a lot over the last few days. Practically being a giant, metal fireball obviously hadn't helped, either. Sure, he was happy, but he was very . . . battered.

But all the same, broken dragon or no broken dragon, Leo and Calypso took the trip to Camp Half Blood.

As they were soaring through the air, still clutching her coffee cup which she had refused to let go of, Calypso sat her head on Leo's shoulder and whispered, 'do you think he will survive the entire trip?' She was actually rather concerned about this little detail. If Festus didn't make it, they all went down. 'He _is_ quite beaten up.'

Leo shook his head. 'C'mon, Sunshine, don't say that. You'll hurt his feelings.'

She just laughed slightly. 'Alright, fine. I have faith in you, Festus!' she called. The dragon snorted and clunked in reply. A bolt popped out of his leg and went whizzing off.

'Trust me,' Leo said to her. 'I'm not dying again any time soon. The smell is _awful._'

* * *

Little had changed at Camp Half Blood. Everything had returned to normal, and clearly everyone was trying to put the battle out of their minds.

But it had only been two months.

Piper didn't feel that they should be over it yet. Though not all of them were in the same position as her. Not all of them had lost a brother – even if he wasn't a blood one.

She didn't really think she would ever be okay again.

Out of respect, Bunker Nine hadn't been touched since. Piper had gone down there once, but the sense of abandonment and loneliness it harboured was too much. So instead she stayed at Camp, with mainly Jason keeping her company.

He understood how she felt.

The two of them sat beside the moonlit lake, Jason with his arms wrapped around her. She had her head resting on his shoulder, and his thumb was rubbing circles on her lower back.

'He could still be out there, you know,' Jason murmured.

Piper mutely shook her head. 'He can't be,' she whispered. 'If he was alive, he would have come back by now.'

'There might have been something . . . holding him up.'

But as much as he tried to comfort her, Piper could hear no hope in her boyfriend's voice. None.

A long way behind them, Piper heard a whooshing sound. She and Jason both turned their heads just in time to see what looked like a fireball streak through the sky and slam into the ground with a gigantic smash.

Right in the middle of Camp.

Jason immediately jumped to his feet, pulling Piper up with him. 'Come on,' he said urgently. 'Someone might have been hurt.'

She nodded mutely, and the pair of them took off, towards the Dining Pavilion.

* * *

The fireball had landed right in the middle of the arrangement of cabins, sending smouldering metal and bits of smoking debris everywhere. Most of the campers had gathered around, looking completely shocked. Neither Piper nor Jason could see what was going on through the masses.

'All right!' a voice finally cried out, as though it had just surfaced from the unknown. Everyone gave a collective gasp. Piper craned her neck, just trying to see what the _hell_ was going on. 'If anyone gets the idea that you all thought I was dead because I prioritised finding my super-hot girlfriend – say hi, Calypso – over the rest of you, well, yeah, that's pretty much the truth. But anyways, I have a dragon that needs fixing _pronto_, so let me through, people!'

Jason staggered, and Piper felt as though she had been punched in the gut. Hard.

No. No way in all of _Tartarus_ was it possible . . .

Piper blindly shoved her way through the crowd, coming out in the circle that had been formed around the wreckage.

Standing just before it all was Leo Valdez, intact, remotely unharmed, and one hundred percent _alive_.

She couldn't move. Her breathing had hitched in her chest, and judging by the sharp intake of breath behind her, Jason had followed.

'Valdez,' Piper whispered. Suddenly she was angry. _Extremely _angry. 'LEO _VALDEZ!_'

Leo, who was clearly just as shocked to see her too, suddenly looked rather terrified, as he should have been. Next thing she knew, Piper had flown at him, hugging him so tightly that she knew he was struggling to breathe. Hot tears were slipping down her cheeks as she finally broke away from the embrace.

'Good to see you too, Beauty Queen,' he said quietly, a grin now unfurling on his face.

She slapped him. Hard.

'TWO MONTHS, REPAIR BOY! TWO GODDAMN _MONTHS, _AND WE HEAR _NOTHING_ FROM YOU! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD, AND YOU . . .' She trailed off, and hugged him again. 'You little . . .'

'Two months?' Leo looked confused. 'You're kidding me, right? Two _months_.'

'You heard me,' Piper said.

'We thought you were dead, Leo.' Jason was now standing right behind Piper.

'Well, you see, I kinda _was . . ._'

Next thing Piper knew, they were both hugging, and all of the bromancy stuff. No details needed there.

'Ow,' Leo muttered, breaking away and rubbing the red mark on his cheek. 'You pack a punch, Piper.'

'I know,' she said smugly. Her eyes wandered to the small figure standing just behind Leo and clutching a Starbucks cup. Her brow furrowed in realisation. Oh, he was going to _get_ it . . .

'You have a _GIRLFRIEND?_ And you never _TOLD ME?_'

As he should have, Leo ran.

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**I hope I did okay. *Shrugs*  
**

**Well, please review :)**


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